What Was Missing
by Crumpled Paper Hearts
Summary: Zane's arms start going haywire! But Nya knows an old friend who might specialize in what they need. Might this mystery girl help Zane find something... that he wasn't even looking for? JAY X NYA , ZANE X OC , LLOYD X OC
1. Repair

"Ha! Got'cha now, Kai!"

"Oh yeah? Well how's about this?"

"What the brick, man! I'm your _team-mate_! Why'dya hit me?"

"Jay, I'm the RED one! Zane's the one owning you!"

"I apologize, I cannot seem to control my erratic movement, I-"

Before the white nindroid could finish, his arms began to shake and frantically push all the game buttons.

Laughter ensued in the room as the little red character took an arrow to the knee and faded into nothing. The fiery fire starter threw down his game controller. "Man, this tanks!" He grumbled.

The ebony ninja breathed a hearty laugh as he shook his bangs to the side, "Aw, c'mon, ya little sore loser. It seems Zane's just got some little bugs." He finished with a snicker.

"Actually," Zane cut in, "I do believe you are accurate, Cole, as my limbs appear to be malfunctioning."

As if it jinxed it, Zane's arms began to twitch and sparks flew and his arms flailed around recklessly.

"Woah! Watch out!" Jay warned as he ducked, seeing that Zane's arm almost swung right across his head.

More sparks buzzed out as his hands began to do the wave, the Macarena, and then just spin uncontrollably.

Lloyd began to laugh at the silliness, clutching his stomach from his heavy laughter.

"As much as amusing it is; Zane's gone freaking haywire!" Cole exclaimed as he jumped out of the way to avoid being smacked on the face.

"I got 'em, I got 'em…" Kai reassured as he grabbed Zane's arms and held them behind his back.

Zane's arms fought back but eventually died down.

"Woah there, cowboy." Cole breathed as he set his hand of the white ninja's arm.

"What the brick just happened?" Jay yelled out in confusion, scratching the back of his head.

"Maybe Zane's going back to his robot INSTICTS and is gonna attack us all to enslave us for the robotic apocalypse!" The youngest of the 5 predicted, fear in his tone as he took careful steps back.

Kai rolled his eyes at Lloyd's outlandish guess. He tapped Zane's head, trying to see if he'd respond, "You okay now, bro?"

"Affirmative. I have already settled down. But I believe that my arms need either immediate heavy repair of replacement." He replied curtly, worry in his face.

"Aw, well that's just great! Why don't we just drop by family junkyard and pick up some ROBOT ARMS." Jay suggested sarcastically, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Last time I scanned the area, I was not aware your parents harbored any robotic limbs in your birthplace, Jay." Zane said in confusion, re-checking his database for any memory.

Jay just let out a frustrated sigh followed by a weak chuckle.

"What's this I hear about robot arms?" A feminine voice pitched in.

A lady in cherry red walked in the room, an open smile on her face.

Jay's shoulders raised as he meekly stared at the ground and giggled nervously. "O-Oh, well that- you see, uh, Z-ZANE, he… uh…" A bright red colored his cheeks as his voice cracked.

A sweet giggle escaped the girl's lips and Jay looked away nervously, smiling like a poor fool.

A taunting tune was whistled out as Jay looked behind him, seeing Cole leaning against Kai; both of them with devious smirks on their face, suggestively raising their eyebrows.

Jay shot a glare their way, but was cut short as another shot of electricity surged through Zane's arms, stinging Kai, causing him to draw his arms back, "Wahh!" Kai yelped.

"Geez, what's wrong with Zane?" Nya asked as she helped her brother up to his feet.

"My arms have outlived their usefulness, it seems." Zane pouted at this fact, knowing these were the arms his father built him.

"Hm, well, why don't you just fix it, Jay? You're pretty good with mechanics, y'know?" Nya asked as she elbowed Jay.

Jay was taken aback, his face even redder than before. "You think I'm g-good… at mechanics…?" He asked in disbelief.

"Well, yeah! Of course! I sharpened up my skills because of watching you when you work with your inv-" Nya's lips shut tight as she realized she went a little too far with that, she just chucked along and ended with a simple 'Never mind'.

Jay couldn't help but have a dreamy look on his face, biting his lower lips in nervousness.

"O-Oh wait!" Nya snapped back to her normal self as a look of realization struck upon her. She dashed out the room, giving a 'follow' hand signal, beckoning the 5 to follow.

The ninjas shrugged but carried on to follow Nya to her room; weapons and armor were sprawled out on the floor, as well as articles of red clothing.

Nya was in a corner of her room, shuffling through the contents of her bedside drawer. "Ah, here it is!" She said triumphantly as she held a picture in her hands.

She turned to the ninjas, "Back in our village; when I and Kai were just little kids like Lloyd over here," She began, patting Lloyd's icy blonde hair, to which the trickster just smiled, "I spent my time with the neighbors. Now, I had one _particular_ neighbor, which might be able to help right about now." She handed the picture over to Kai, the rest huddling over to get a look at the photograph.

In the picture was a young Nya; her inky hair was in high pigtails, and she wore an oversized, blue hoodie with white hearts. Right beside her was an unfamiliar face. There stood a girl, even younger, with slightly curled black hair with blonde bangs, and deep green eyes.


	2. Unbelievable

"Absolutely unbelievable."

The words spoken were soft and nearly unheard, but suppressed by tears that welled up in rainbow eyes. Nya leaned forward and the two friends shared a long hug, giggling and sniffling in between.

"Airam*," Nya began, a bright smile upon her, "how long has it been?" [*that's my real name backwards] "A couple years 'er so." she answered with a shrug. Airam looked over her friend's shoulder to find strangers behind her,a four to be particular. "Oh, come in."

She bowed and stepped aside to allow them to waltz inside. It was a shabby house, but only outside. The inside was completely marvelous; the walls may have been white, but they had murals ranging from silhouettes of famous landmarks across Ninjago to splatter paint and so on. The furniture was made out of polished and varnished wood, as well as the floor was carpeted.

Despite all the aristocracy, metallic parts lay atray against the grey carpet floor. Nuts and bolts and screws were rolling off the edges of a round table, along with a toolbox engraved with A.G.

Cole whistled out, adding "Nice place you got here, Miss..."

"Gossamer." She replied curtly, she turned to face the five under the light of a small, homely, chandelier. "But no need for formalities, gentlemen... and Kai." She turned to ninja with brown spiky hair, bowing her head slightly, while Kai merely grimaced at the exclusion.

"Have you two met before?" Asked a monotone voice Airam turned to reply but was quickly distracted by the fact the inquirer had duct tape around his torso, immobilizing his arms.

She broke out into fickle laughter, continuing, "Yes, me and Red 'zero have met because of Nya." She ended with a polite smile.

The white ninja nodded accordingly, yet his gaze was unbroken. The girl merely followed his gaze awkwardly, pointing to her hair.

Her hair was a lovely black color like Nya's and Cole's, but blond and white spots and streaks clouded it's solid color. Her was also cut slant wise; going diagonally down from her mid-neck to an inch below the shoulder.

"I got into a little trouble with some bleach while doing laundry as a kid." She laughed, "I also needed contacts after that little accident." She pointed to her raibow eyes, spiraling into different colors from her iris.

"Anyways!" She suddenly raised her voice, "Introduce yourselves, please. I don't like strangers in the house." Airam said in jest.

"Oh, yeah." Nya remembered, she went over to the 3 boys, casting her hand out, "This is Jay, Cole and Zane." The three gave short 'hi's and 'hello's, each mustering a charming smile.

One smile however was directed to another person.

"Hmm..." Airam hummed out, "Jay, is it?" She confronted the blue ninja, a suspicious but sly look on her face.

"Uh huh, Ninja of Lightning, also known as the blue ninja." He declared proudly, bringing out his nunchucks, performing a small Spinjitsu turn and ending with a battle stance.

Airam merely smiled half-heartedly, her view making her way to her old friend "Oh Nya..." she called in a sigh, "You never told me you had a boyfriend,"

With the words spoken, the blue ninja's weapon had slid out of his hands, as well as balance out of his body. He slid on the floor, falling on his back, breathing out an audible "Huh..?"

Nya, on the other hand, had a flustered look on her face, "H-He... Jay is not my boyfriend.." She choked out carefully, looking away to hide the warm red growing on her cheeks.

Airam looked skeptical at this, "He isn't your boyfriend... Or he isn't your boyfriend YET?" She ended with a taunting tone and a wide grin.

Back on solid for ground, the blushing Jay looked to Nya for anything to say, but she simply avoided his sight, laughing out, "Glad you haven't changed, Gossamer."

The girl gave a hearty laugh, "Why would I change?" She grew a warm smile, "I'm perfectly content in who I am."

Cole had nudged Kai othe shoulder, whispering out, "I'm beginning to like this girl..." He said teasingly, looking at the flustered two before her.

Zane, right beside them, and having sensitive hearing, added "I, too Cole, am beginning to developed mild attraction towards thins girl." He are replied in his usual manner, but if Cole saw right; a very faint touch of pink on his cheeks.

The two were left agape with this statement and followed his gaze unto Airam, who continues tormenting Nya with plastic-sweet taunting words.

"Putting that aside." Nya had declared, keeping Cole and Kai from saying anything, "We need your help on Zane over there."

Her rainbow eyes scanned the white ninja up and down, causing him to gulp. "Well,what kind of repair do you need?" She asked sweetly.

"M-My... Arms... need repairing." He looked down upon his duck taped body; courtesy of Jay. "And you are a mechanic, also skilled in human anatomy, correct?"

She nodded this this, "Brief med school, but I didn't finish, though." She laughed silently.

Airam approached Zane with no words, wrapping her arms around his torso.

Zane pushed his head back a little on impulse and confusion, with a bit of a flustered face due to the rash action. "I'm not gonna hurt you..." She whispered, not even looking up, unravelling him from his restraints.

Upon freedom, Zane opened up his chest, revealing his circuitry to be worked upon. Unexpectedly, though, Airam jumped back in surprised at this.

Everyone looked at her, a bit taken aback. "What's with the face? I thought you fix robots for a living." Jay spoke up first.

Airam looked up at him in confusion, then turning to Nya, "I think you misunderstood..." sheworded out slowly, "I fix-"

The door slammed loudly, making everyone turn their attention to the strangers at the door. It was a group of 4 men dressed smartly in tailored suits. They had guns around their belts and shades on their eyes. One of them, with a fedora spoke; "Gossamer."

"Unwanted comapany." She noted sarcastically.

"Hey! I'll have you know trespassing is against Ninjago law paragraph 23, section-"

What semmed like a tiny missile had zoomed it's way pass the blue ninja and exploded before the door, causing the group of men to be tossed out to the street, covered it soot and burning plywood.

The 5 stared at the destruction before them, then slowly turning to the trail of smoke leading to Airam.

The girl has down on one knee, with one of her pants leg pulled up to reveal metal. The smoke trail led to her knee cap; which was hollow and had visible wires within.

As the smoke settled down she spoke; "Run."


	3. Bleached

"Okay... What THE BRICK was that all about?"

"Mind the language, Cody. Be grateful you're alive." She scoffed with a light grimace.

"First off, my name is COLE." He corrected bitterly, taking back what he had said earlier to Kai, "Second, of course we're alive, we're hardcore ninjas. Third, ARE YOU MAD, woman?"

The girl merely snickered, rolling her eyes, "There are claims." She murmured, pulling out a bullet from her metal shin, then flicking it out to a nearby bush.

The white ninja had stepped up towards the girl,ships arms twitching slightly, "If you do not mind, Airam. I wish to know why your knee is left leg is metal." Finishing his sentence, a tiny spark shot out from his joint and his arm swung towards her.

Airam nonchalantly ducked and held his arm in her tight grasp once it swung by her. "Same reason why I'm pretty surprised at you, Mr. Roboto." She grinned, tapping on his torso with her free hand, causing an echoing metal clang.

Zane gulped at their close proximity, but the girl didn't seem to take any notice. "I work in prosthetics." Airam whispered out, her breath on Zane's face.

She let go of the ninja's limbs and turned about to walk to a tree stump by the rest of the group. Like she had earlier, she sat down and pulled up her pants leg all the way up to reveal a glossy-shined metal limb. It had few, thin wires encircling it and meeting up at the joint where it was hollow.

"I won't go into deats," she mused, "but prosthetics are artificial replacement limbs for people like me."

"People like you? The Unfortunate, you mean." Kai had pitched in, slight wariness in his voice; not trying to offend her condition.

"I mean," she answered, shooting a heavy glare towards him, "The Damned." She ended, pulling down her pants leg.

"W-Wait..." Nya broke in, "Who were those guys?" She hastily asked, her hand pointing behind her back, referring to the earlier intruders.

Airam had turned silent, quietly trembling. "Let's just say... the Gossamers were the original crime family."

* * *

William Gossamer was a good man who made bad decisions. His very original being his marriage to the local jeweler. She was a gold-digger with charm and no less, with an unhealthy obsession to treasure. Debts begun stocking up, but Will remained unmoved, so the couple decided to flee for their lives.

The two owned one wealthy estate to another, escaping the law for their love of each other, and luxury. Twelve massacres, which meant twelve estates later, and the two had settled down in the countryside to build a family of the damned; doomed to carry on their forefather and foremother's price of debt and crime.

12 generations of son after son later, we catch up to the presently damned Gossamer. She was names after the original sinner, herself. The family flees together as one, working hard to escape authorities, as if our case had been the longest running since Adam and Eve.

The Gossamers are known for their perfectly black hair and blue eyes. The woman who married the 12th Gossamer didn't marry him and bore their only child knowing of the family curse. When she did, she splashes the child's hair with bleach to hide it's natural black pigment.

This had to be repeatedly done every few month to keep the hair from growing back to black. But even that wasn't enough to keep civilians unsuspicious. Out of her and her husband's love; they splashed bleach into their darling's orbs to take away her ocean eyes, and consequently, her sight.

When they were found, their child was hid under the cupboard while the two were shot down the throat and had their fortune taken away to just dent the compensation they owed. Their child had escaped soon after and stumbled down then street.

She was found by a homely family who gave her a small meal and upon her request, guided her to the local optalmologist. She did not want glasses or surgery, but cosmetic and corrective film for her eyes.

Such new age design was pricey, so the two made a deal. The eye doctor had his youngest son run over by a cart; crushing his leg. With enough negotian, the Gossamer had gave him her's.

Returning to the last estate of Gossamer, the had found their one and only family picture; exposing the existence of a 13th Gossamer to pay the price of living under the name.

The child was aware of the bounty on her her head and learned how to create machines from an inventor. Sooner, she developed robotic replacement limbs for herself, and decided to create a service to compensate for the bad her ancestors had caused by granting a handful of people the gift of walking and holding again.

She's still on the run, though.

* * *

Her hoax rainbow eyes stared intently to the fire the red ninja had set, breathing in the light smoke in created. Airam had run her hands through her hair, glancing at it's tainted color.

The rest by the small fire knew what she was going to say next; each a look of pity on their face.

"And that would be me."


	4. Brick Dust

At that moment, Kai had leapt to his feet.; the brittle dried leaves cracking at his weight.

"Well, that was emotional and all. But if you guys are short of realization…" He gestured towards the small audience, "…she's a criminal!" He nearly exclaims.

Wide eyes began to swerve their view towards the accused, who's head was still down and a slightly smile remaining on her face.

"…So?" She challenges, dark eyes showing behind soft eyelashes.

Kai grits his teeth hard, burrowing his cold glare into her, "So why should we even be around you? Why should we help you?" He questions, an accusing finger pointed towards her, "You're an outlaw."

"Kai…!" His sister gasps, a frail hand reaching up under her lip.

Airam leaned back and swung to her feet, a gust of dirt rising around her legs. She went towards Kai, hips slightly swinging and her hands crossed against her chest.

The fray strands of her bangs delicately touch against Kai's forehead at their close proximity, her eyes digging burrows in his. "…Did I ever _ask_ for you help…?" She almost whispers with a chuckle.

The silent chuckle turned into a hearty laugh, eventually. Her chilling breath blew against Kai's heating face.

She turns about on her heel, the back of her hair streaking across the fire ninja.

"But if I'm not ever so mistaken…" She mumbles, eyes partially closed, "…You've said it yourself, Red…" She grins, "You're all outlaws like me now."

It was Cole's turn to arise, scrambling to his feet, "What do you mean?" He asked louder than he meant to.

"You _helped_ me escape." Her hands place on her hips. "For all I'm concerned, you're an alibi. They'll be coming after you too. Sure, you can leave me alone… but when- rather, _if_ they ever find me… I'll just rat you guys out."

"WHAT?" Jay screams frantically, his hands tightened into fists, against his knees. "B-B-But…" He stutters, lost in the words.

You could say the same for the rest; unable to speak. Strangely enough, Nya looked slightly calmer, as if anyone had the time to notice.

Once Cole regained his composure, he let out an audible huff. "Oh yeah?" He pursued, walking towards her.

"…How exactly do you plan to tell on us, huh? You don't know our location." He answered smugly, as if he was playing Russian roulette and had a full house.

Her eyes squinted, and carefully buzzed around Cole's figure and appearance, quietly murmuring to herself.

Cole stared her down, a prideful look on his face. "Well…?" He asks in a smirk.

Her eyes darted back to his, almost making the earth ninja jump at the intensity in her eyes.

"Leader of the team, due to stance and look of inferiority in your subordinates' composure." She states, eyes glancing towards Zane.

"Right hand slightly bigger than the left, excessive manual labour and intense training. Your posture is good and you feet arches are normal, so you would have to be training in solid, parallel ground. There's a mist of brick around the hems of your pants and when I met you, your swept-back hair had a thin layer of water. Your clothes had also been wrinkled at the back, but pressed at the front, due to air pressure. You must been sky diving when you came down to see me."

Her hands were squarely placed under her jaw, a quizzical look upon her.

Before any sound was heard, a blitz erupted the silence, and Zane's arm had swung across himself, leading him to fall back onto the ground, feet skyward.

Airam gave a small hum and inched closer to Zane. However, instead of giving the nice boy a helping hand, she raised his leg further up to look at the sole of his shoes.

"Brick dust, just like Ebony over there." She nodded approvingly. "A bit of dirt and dried debris from the run. Oh, a bit of oil and faint smidge of rust… obviously from a machine, other than yourself… you look like you're in almost-fine condition anyways."

"Now let's see…" She started, turning about, yet eyes still looking elsewhere. "A moving machine in the air… a blimp or plane perhaps. But no… there are wooden shrapnel at Pearly's heels." She noted, her shoulder shrugging towards Zane.

"Wood… oil… rust…" She whispered out. "The wood shrapnel is Red Oak, due to the texture and color. Red Oak was popularized in the earlier centuries as decent material for pirate ships… ships." She repeated, her eyes lighting up.

"Rust had meant that it was old. Your IronOxide is a blazing orange color, meaning it's _pretty_ old. Maybe even early-century old." Her fingers snapped, and a smile twitching in the corners of her mouth.

"Pirate ship. A customized century-old Pirate ship deliberately engineered for flight. For Ebony's clothes to be _that_ cleanly pressed evenly at the front, he had to reach terminal velocity. It was just raining uptown moments before you guys arrived. You all had to be above the first few yards of the stratosphere; around 1000 altitude."

She paced back and forth, her eyes heavenward.

"When I saw you guys enter my house, Aqua and Pearly were standing to the right of Nya, who was at my front door. Therefore, you guys walked down East. Judging by how Nya's makeup is when I saw her… her blush one-fourteenths of her normal application, plus the amount blown away by your drop, to the normal shedding of skin cells… you've been travelling 2 hours to get to my house."

"2 hours East at usual aircraft speed would mean… you were at Mount Wakeba, a mountain made of adobe and brick… you're usual resting place." She ended with a smile.


	5. Chloroform

_**Airam's Point of View:**_

…And so the ninjas had let me in their humble abode. After all, wherever they fly off to, I could find them. It's a flippin' pirate ship in the sky, anyways… ain't too hard to miss.

After a tragically long debriefing with Ebony, I've been given the pleasure of slumber. If only I wasn't such a bedtime wreck, it'd seem something worth being thankful over.

Don't get me wrong; I'm glad I'm here. I missed Nya for so long, but I assume she's having a change of mind after the little show I put on tonight. But I had no other choice, I needed a place to crash and tricking these guys into letting me stay against their will was right up my alley.

I wouldn't have rat out on them for real… but that doesn't mean I won't _say_ I will.

I've no idea how long my eyes had been shut since I lay on the mat on the floor. Avoiding from scratching myself or running my fingers through my hair took a lot out of me to pull off being asleep. Surprisingly, Nya bought it. I guess she doesn't know me as well as I had known, else she'd know of my sleeping habits. Or maybe she didn't have the energy to and went right on to the dreamscape.

I'm over-thinking.

My legs twitch and I take it as a sign to move along. Stumbling out of the room was one thing, but navigating in the dark was another.

I pressed my palm into the wall gently, wary of any stray pieces of wood that could lodge themselves into my skin. I raise my heels as I go through doors, just in case they were bedrooms.

Finally, my eyes fixed upon a door that had swung open. I tiptoe towards it and flick up the switch.

The light gave a slight burn in my irises, and my feet shuffled back, hitting the door frame with a soft thud. A quiet groan escaped me, though. I quickly turned to look over my shoulder in case anyone had heard or followed me.

The hallways were as dark and empty as they were, only slightly brighter with the glow of the bathroom lights.

I shut the door ajar, leaving just a few inches open in case there's something worth hearing.

My fingertips drummed on the thin box and damp cloth I held in my hand that I escaped from Nya's room. I spun the little thing around to read the instructions at the back. If I was going to go undercover, I might've at least not stand out.

I place the box and cloth to my side and dipped my head in the sink, the cold running water flowing down my neck. There's a slight turn in my heart, sentimentality follows. I couldn't blame myself. My hair hadn't been just one color since I was born.

Thank the good Lord Nya was actually a brunette under those dyed locks.

I can't seem to recall why on Earth she wanted to change her hair color, though. But I wouldn't have understood, she's always been much older than I. I'm glad she even still remembers me.

I reach up to shut the tap and throw my head back. Little droplets scatter and cling on the walls. Under the bright lights, I could see my bleached hair clumping together and sticking on my cheeks and forehead, excess water running down my chin.

My ears prick almost immediately, the very quiet trickling of water behind my ears. My fingers halt and my eyes squint, but don't move. The sudden heat of the porcelain floor runs up my spine and almost burns my soles, so I've been tricked into giving a smile.

"Evenin', Crimson." I coolly greet, relaxing my shoulders. The door squeaks open and the ninja clad in red pyjamas hesitantly enters.

I brushed my hand to side, dropping the box of black dye off the sink counter, and falling into my swung foot, the minute crackle of plastic being the only sound that gives it away. The damp cloth, on the other hand, I swiped while doing so.

"What are you doing here?" He demands, suspicion in his tone.

I intertwined my fingers behind my back, slowly rolling up the cloth and placing it the back pockets of my shorts.

"I'm in the bathroom, just… washing up." I defended, running a hand through my damp hair.

His stern face tells me he doesn't buy it, even if I'm telling the truth. That's Kai for you, Mr. My-Judgement-is-better-than-yours.

I swing my weight to the other foot, a cool breath escaping my lips. "I am unarmed." I state, knowing full well that was what he was wary of.

The brunette rolls his eyes, a grimace upon his lips. "Sure you are." He drawls sarcastically, folding up his arms together.

I twitch into a grin, raising my arms up and standing firm, "Find out for yourself, Kai."

My sudden usage of his actual name might've shocked him a little more than I thought it would. He obliged blindly though, stepping forward and placing his palms on either side of my waist, scanning for any weapons I might've hidden from plain view.

"I have no reason to trust you." He blurted out. "…even from the start."

My eyebrow cocked up, my eyes deep set on his mop of brown hair. "Oh? Does that have anything to do with the fact that _you_ can't just get over me?"

With that, his shoulders tensed and his hands firmly grasped my flesh, his blunt fingernails digging into the oversized black shirt Nya lent me.

"What do you mean?" He questioned frantically, staring up into my eyes aggressively. "It's history, _understand_?"

"That's the thing, ain't it? History may have been the past… but it will always be something that was _real_." I crooned, my eyes blankly looking at his direction, but not at him.

I spoke softer this time, trying my best to appease him, "…I will always be that one younger girl who you took a fancy in… out of your guilt." I almost whisper.

"What makes you think I'm living in the past?" He hisses under his breath, spite dripping on every word. He brought his head lower and seemed to be ticked off by every passing second of silence.

This was my chance. I started actually looking at him, basking in every fierce detail in his face. I drew closer, my head beside his, my hair brushing his ear.

My eyelids shut and my voice became raspy as I murmured in a low voice, "…I can hear your _pulse_." I breathed out. I carefully swung my right hand to drape over his shoulder, moving myself to his opposite side to face his ear.

"…And I saw your pupils _dilate_." My free hand carefully pressed against his back, feeling every unsteady breath and heaving of his lungs.

"Furthermore…" I seethed behind my teeth, "…You're just as distracted as always."

His head turns to me to the second I finish, consequently. I take my hand out from behind his back and quickly swipe the earlier cloth. Kai may be a ninja, but even he can't beat my strategies.

I used the hand I placed on his shoulder to grasp the back of his neck, my long and pearly-white-painted fingernails scratching his skin.

I took the cloth and placed it upon his mouth and nose, pushing him back against the wall.

Anybody could tell that Kai was fighting back. He delivered some bruises to my shins and knees with those legs of his. But like a normal human being, he slowly succumbed with every breath, slower and shallower than the previous.

His eyes drop slowly and he slides down the wall, falling to his side. "Don't worry," I reassure to whatever consciousness he had left, "It's just chloroform." I explained with a wink. "…I had a feeling I might need it."

And I did. I took the bottle from my kitchen counter before we had to run from the authorities. Kept it in the hem of my pants the whole time.

At this state, Kai seems almost harmless and weak. His face was downturned into an uneasy expression, limbs sprawled out in all directions. I might as well give him this.

I drop down to my knees, placing a hand on his side. "I'll have you know…" I started, leaning closer. "I still haven't forgiven you… for stealing my first kiss." I said to a comatose ninja.

I smothered his forehead with a mean kiss and fled quickly, my feet tapping on the wooden ground. Until tomorrow.


	6. Her Boys

"Aren't you too young to be doing that?!" A squeaky little voice piped up from the shadows of the open hallway.

Airam let out a cool exhale, wisps of thick air caressing the corners of her mouth.

"Aren't you too young to be telling me what to do?" She contradicted smugly, a wide grin plastered on her face.

She leaned forward to her own feet and away from the edge of the moving airship. The pleasant wind wrapped stray pieces of her hair around in knots.

"It isn't real anyways." She explained, tapping the index finger against the cigarette, "It just gives off water vapour and a fake LED light." She followed after a quick inhale.

"Then why do you even use it?" Lloyd asked, perplexed, getting closer to the mysterious girl.

"Dopamine." She smiled, placing her hands squarely on her hips. "It's a side-effect of Nicotine. It gives the chemical compound…" She let out another breath, the vapour enveloping Lloyd's senses, "…of satisfaction." She almost whispered.

An audible gulp was heard, to which the elder girl shifted her weight with a smirk. "I take it you already know who _I _am, don't you, ya little cutie?" She teased, placing one sharp fingernail into Lloyd's cheek.

His lips pouted and were turned into an adorable grimace as he swatted her hand off.

A prompt 'Hmph' was breathed out, and the young woman's shiny metal leg spun in circles, creating faint lines on the wooden flooring.

"Garmadon, am I right?" She turned from her heel sharply, curls of her hair playing against her face, away from his view. She could simply feel his face turning sour at his own name.

She continued, "…Son of a dark lord. Pretty impressive, might I add. Yet you're here, room-mates with the defenders of good will? …Now please tell me why that is." She balled her hand up into a fist, sinking her mediocre-long fingernails into her palm.

The queasiness settled in and the boy shifted uncomfortably. "I-It's not your business, lady!" He stamped his foot against the floor.

A delightful giggle followed at his temper tantrum. "You're more than what meets the eye, kid." She thought upon, twisting the cigarette between her fingers. Ultimately letting it fall to the ground, her metal limb crushing it into ash.

"But as you can see; so am I." She dived her hands to the small pockets on either side of her waist, walking away from the boy.

Each footstep was an alteration between a heavy metal one and light dainty noise.

A wave of silence fell over the two in moments. In the first few seconds, Lloyd's sour face was faltering at the sudden heaviness that dawned upon him.

A light shift erupted in the lower regions, teetering the two on the deck. Lloyd let out an audible gasp as Airam merely glanced at the flooring.

"Turbulence." She sighed simply, continuing her gaze into the thick sky, shrouded in clouds of grey.

"H-Hey, Airam." She turned slightly, parting her lips in question. "Who did you lose?"

Lloyd paced forward carefully, but his words were eaten, "Dad- um, Lord Garmadon told me… people have weaknesses. When people are cold, it's because something bad happened to them that they learned from. They know better than anyone else, _apparently_, or something."

Airam gulped, but still refused to face the blonde lad, her nails were scratching against her palm now, tearing lightly at her callused skin.

In a huff, she choked out; "My boys." She fidgeted slightly, "I lost my boys."

"Ugh… sons?" Lloyd's eyebrow piqued and his jaw hung loose in utter confusion, "I don't…"

"No, not sons." She curtly corrected. Stepping forward, she extended her arms into a low cloud. The moisture hung on her skin and dews collected, slipping down to her elbows.

"Friends." She began, "A little bit after I left Nia's home, I… I met people. I met 2 people that… I… _loved_." She brushed her damp arm against her shirt, causing a friction noise, "I don't mean that I cheated on any of the two- no. We weren't like that… they weren't like that."

She continued, "One was… Garnett… and the other Hale…"

_I giggled, pinching their sides with my sharp nails; they both retaliated and cursed under their breath, jumping forward in the sudden pain._

"_Ah! Airam! Christ…!" Garnett placed his hand on his hip and carefully rubbed the sore spot._

"_Oh, come on you two bastards." I nudged confidently, bumping my elbows into theirs. "You too, Hale." I smiled brightly at the quiet boy._

_Garnett had cream skin, but tanned to certain extents. He'd train all day in the name of physical fitness, but I know better. It was a way to get away from his home in the day._

_He had an upright build, thick but not burly. He stood tall and very capable, but with enough extra chub to grasp when in the mood._

_His hair was light and a dusty blond, it pricked from his head and swooped to the top like a shark's fin. He'd run his calloused fingers through his mane and so would I when he wasn't looking._

_Hale had been a different case, his skin glowed in his caramel-color. His skin was a darker brunet that was gelled to swish up as extra strands fell next to his ears and in the back of his neck. He wouldn't let me touch his hair though… nor would he let me touch any part of him either. Might as well anyways, he looks fragile._

_He was easily skinny, skinnier than I. He used to be your regular Joe until a summer earlier where he got a growth spurt and was easily half an inch taller than me. Much easier to adjust to than the 3-inch-taller wall of muscle and douchebaggery which was Garnett._

"_Volleyball?" Garnett's eyes perked up and a light sparkle had settled in the ocean blue._

"_Ooh, no you don't!" I quickly warned, grasping his hood before he could run off and retrieve a ball. "Not after last time."_

_He pouted, his face teasing, "You're still not over that? C'mon!" He urged, whining like a kid._

_My eyes narrowed, "You shot me in the __**damn chest**__, Blivett." I spit out his last name like it left a bitter taste in his mouth._

_He rolled his eyes, "It's not like there's much to hit…" He mumbled under his breath._

_Next thing he knew, he was being tackled by a 50-pound me. I wrapped my arms around his torso, which could barely touch each hand and attempted to push him down to the ground with me._

_He faltered, but regained his composure and maintained our balanced with a content grin. The dude was a whale. Easily 100 pounds. Or more, even._

_Hale watched shyly at the sidelines, leaning against a wall of bamboo._

"_Well, if you didn't want to get hurt, why did you want to play with me?" Garnett challenged, pushing forward against me, his hands wrapped in my hands right now as we wrestled on the tall grass._

_I shivered, but tried my best to hide, "Aw, come now, Blivett. You know I'm too nice to leave you to your own devices. I just want to make you happy." I answered truthfully, but my voice dripped with implied fake sweetness._

_Hale piped up, "Do you what would __**really**__ make him happy?" He pursued suggestively, grinning wickedly and having the face of devils, dropping his shy-boy façade for an obscene one._

_This time, I really did falter, and a misstep later, I was on my back, the stalks of green bowing against my weight. Garnett stood content beside me._

_Rare do I ever get to see Hale drop his awkward and ignoring façade. All the more when it's us 3. But nothing of value was worth the stand of pride that broke as Garnett stood next to me triumphantly._

_Maybe that's why I swung my arm to the back of his knee._

_His heavy body collapsed into the long grass like I, the stalks caved in and weaved a small nest around him._

_Despite the obvious pain that should have pushed from that, he laughed. I smiled. He looked me in the eyes._

_Turning my vision, I had apparently locked eyes with Hale this time, still standing against the bamboo wall._

_His eyes were golden green, and big above all. They sparkled like a child's on Christmas. The sun flickered drops of gold into them, causing them to glitter in bursts of white. But no matter how beautiful, it was not something I wanted to be caught drowning in. I turned my head._

_It is what it is, I suppose. Garnett thinks I love Hale as well as Hale thinks I love Garnett. Ever usually do they tease each other over it, passing 'me' between the two of them, inciting ways that they other would be the better pair. It was sort of flattering, despite that the intent was teasing._

_But only I knew better. They were both sort of right. But that's okay. I don't mind it all. Not even if they grow up or get married. I'll be happy for them, no matter who I end up with._

_All that does matter is now, and now I feel safe and loved. My leg is propped up against Garnett's, he's warm right now after that brief wrestling. Hale had also settled himself in a cozy Indian sit next to me, my fingers can lightly brush his wrist that propped him upright. It was cold and bony, but in reminds me of the times he used to let me hold it when he knew I needed someone to pick me up._

_I love my boys. My boys._


End file.
